Flavourful Saskatoon, February 1, 2021
Welcome to February! The days are a little longer and winter is a little bit shorter. My Christmas cactus is flowering and there are buds on 5 of my amaryllis. Long live sunshine and flowers! If you’re busy perusing seed catalogues, why not consider growing spices, such as dill, fennel, or mustard?
Local News
The Forest Grove Free Food Donation Box is one family’s attempt to address hunger in Saskatoon.
I’m not dining out at the moment, but that doesn’t stop me supporting local businesses. I highly recommend the pecan pie brownies from Prairie Ink, the black bean and lime sandwich from Earth Bound Bakery & Kitchen, and the citrus cardamom buns from Sparrow.
Food Trends
The thought that goes into developing new food products is quite astonishing. Here are two articles about future food trends based on flavour and colour. People are looking for adventure, travelling the world through their taste buds and there will be an increased desire for exotic and unusual flavours (pink grapefruit, yuzu, mandarin, pomelo, kumquat, kaffir lime). Colour is key; for example, orange is associated with Vitamin C as well as happiness and excitement.
Farmers Markets
Why, oh why, are municipal governments so unwilling to support farmers’ markets when they are community hubs, popular with residents and tourists alike, let alone an essential piece of the puzzle in ensuring local food security! Hamilton Farmers’ Market is struggling financially due to Covid with the City clawing back the rent relief initially provided - the market could go under.
Edmonton’s first food hall is scheduled to open this spring. Their goal is to provide food entrepreneurs with the infrastructure, technology, and processes so that all the chefs have to do is cook. Their emphasis on technology strikes me as very superficial: “We believe that being able to make data-driven decisions is what will lead to smooth and lean operations. . . . Easy identification of best dishes, food trends, or not-so-successful dishes and ways to improve, which will ensure continued success and growth.” My favorite restaurants, places like Hearth, are all about people and connections to the land and to the heart, not trends and stats. On the other hand, opening a restaurant is a risky business, so I can see there would be advantages to getting started in a food hall. The food hall concept was promoted by City of Saskatoon administration for the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market former site on 19th Street and I’ve always questioned why people would want to dine out in a glorified food court. The emphasis on technology and profits is a direct contrast with the farmers’ market philosophy of connecting people with their food sources.
The Politics of Food
Newfoundland’s first Chinese restaurants didn’t look or taste Chinese: “In the early days, in my father’s restaurant, there was no Chinese decor. I did not adopt any Chinese ornaments either when I started my own business because I was afraid that local people might not like it.” I think this would have applied to many of the Chinese restaurants in small Prairie towns as well.
Telus Talks offers an interesting half-hour video on the future of food, both nationally and globally. While Canada has a surplus of food, it is short on food production capacity and a great many people lack the money to feed themselves adequately (from 1 in 10 pre-Covid to 1 in 8 during the pandemic).
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post articles about food that is good, clean and fair; travel; and books. You may also enjoy EcoFriendly Sask profiling Saskatchewan nature/environmental initiatives and events.
Take EcoFriendly Sask's free nature app with you the next time you go out for a walk.
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